It’s my job as a professional fisherman to know every bait, and there’s not one we’ve made that I haven’t had the hooks off. I put larger hooks on, smaller hooks on, I’ll fish it on four or five line sizes to see how that affects the action. You need to really get familiar with a bait to know its potential.

The winter months are hard on anglers. Even on the “nice” days the prospect of slow fishing and cold toes is enough to keep a lot of folks inside. But it’s amazing how you forget your feet when the fish are biting, and the best option for most of us is to forget about bass, crappie and catfish and tackle a trout instead. They thrive in cold water all year long and the action can be fast and furious using fast-paced techniques like twitching a jerkbait or cranking a Teeny Wee Crawfish crankbait.

Below is a press release the Arizona Game & Fish Department on a new state record striper caught Monday on one of the best topwater baits of all time, the Heddon Super Spook. I received no answer when I phoned angler John Davis this morning but left a message asking him to return my call so I can provide more details on this great day on the water. And yes, that's John and his fish in the photo.

I didn’t plan those fishing days, but most of us figure the best time to go fishing is when you’ve got the chance. So we gave it our best shot. Three days of hard work to catch just a few fish. To say it was poor fishing would be an understatement, especially when you’ve got an Ace in the hole like Zell Rowland manning the trolling motor.

When the leaves are falling and Arkansan Mitch Looper is on the water, chances are that several of his rods have crankbaits tied on. He knows the fish are hungry and making frequent trips to the shallows to feed as the water cools, so he keeps different sizes ready to reach a variety of depths and employs several techniques to fool fall’s feeding largemouth bass.

Striper fishermen know that a Cotton Cordell Red-Fin fishing lure is without rival when it comes to imitating big gizzard shad wallowing near the surface. The same principle applies to largemouth fishing anywhere the bass grow to jumbo sizes and make good use of big gizzard shad, according to Arkansas trophy bass expert, Mitch Looper.

Autumn is a time of power-eating for largemouth and smallmouth bass, as they pack on as much weight as possible in preparation for the coming winter. It’s also a beautiful time to be on the water. The trees are in full color and pleasure boat traffic is minimal. Add to that the fact that bass ought to be pretty cooperative and you’d better get out there before the snow flies.

My daughter’s boyfriend shows some interest in bass fishing, and as much as I hesitate to say this, I kinda like the kid. The problem is that the only fishing he’s ever done has been with a hook and bobber. It took a while for me to get my mind around the fact that he just didn’t believe you could catch a fish on something without a minnow or worm impaled on it.

It’s not your Bubba’s Mississippi River. For most Southerners, the Mississippi River is a big, rolling, muddy, deep and dangerous river. That’s just the way it is. It’s like your second grade teacher – she was old and fat and quick to anger. She’ll always be that way to you. You’d never imagine that she once was a young and virile teenager.

An angler can drive himself crazy considering all of the lure options available for summertime bass fishing, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re sweating heavily on the front deck, make sure it’s from battling bass, not fighting with yourself over which bait to throw. Pare down your choices to five of the most successful summertime lures and you can focus on fishing instead of which lure to throw.